Wildlife
Gobies are the largest family of marine fish, containing 1,875 species of fish. A few species have evolved to live in freshwater, mainly on oceanic islands where there are few other freshwater fish. The smallest fish in the world is a Japanese species of goby.
Scientific name: Gobiidae
Rank: Family
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Mud larks
A mudskipper's diet and habits reflect the tidal zone it inhabits.
A mudskipper's diet and habits reflect the tidal zone it inhabits.
Eating habits
Stingrays, garden eels and gobies forage and feed.
Stingrays, garden eels and gobies forage and feed.
Climbing fish
Waterfalls are no obstacle for these gobies.
In the Hawaiian islands tiny goby fish use suckers to climb the vertical face of an enormous waterfall. One slip and it's all over, but for the strong ones who make it to the top a fishy paradise awaits...
Fish feet
Legs evolved in the water before they were used on land.
Legs evolved in the water before they were used on land.
Landlubber fish
Dedicated male mudskippers adapt to life on land.
Not many fish can walk on land, but that's not the only reason mudskippers are unique. They also breathe air, jump up to show off, dig tunnels to lay their eggs, and fill the chambers in the tunnel with air that they have gulped from the world outside. Mudskippers - the ultimate fish out of water.
The Gobies can be found in a number of locations including: Great Barrier Reef, Mediterranean. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Gobies distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
The gobies form the family Gobiidae, which is one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 species in more than 200 genera. Most are relatively small, typically less than 10 cm (4 in) in length. Gobies include some of the smallest vertebrates in the world, such as species of the genera Trimmatom nanus and Pandaka pygmaea, which are under 1 cm (3/8 in) long when fully grown. Some large gobies, such as some species of the genera Gobioides or Periophthalmodon, can reach over 30 cm (1 ft) in length, but that is exceptional. Although few are important as food for humans, they are of great significance as prey species for commercially important fish such as cod, haddock, sea bass, and flatfish. Several gobies are also of interest as aquarium fish, such as the bumblebee gobies of the genus Brachygobius.
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Sea bed
Brackish water
Estuaries
Intertidal zone
Mangroves
Shallow seas
Reefs
Rivers and streams
Rockpools
Wetlands
